The New American Summer event has been cancelled. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. For more information about the subject, you can follow the speakers on Twitter (@newamersummer) or Facebook (New American Summer).

For decades summertime in America has meant picnics, camp for the kids, and a family vacation. But with the new economic realities, many children are experiencing a different sort of summer, one with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Brent Schondelmeyer, senior staff member of the Local Investment Commission (LINC), and Leigh Anne Taylor, executive director of the Kansas City Area Education Research Consortium, discuss this fundamental shift in our perceptions of summer - and what can be done about it.